What's The Trouble With Accidental Plans?

OMG!

A Laptop Accidental Plan covers any accidental damage from handling.  If you are accident-prone, this might be a benefit.  If you are not, this plan is an expensive gamble.  An average PC laptop costs $650.  The cost of a 3-year Accidental Plan is $299.99!  The percentage of laptop failure rises in the third year and beyond.  Do not even consider a 2-year plan.

Does it make sense to spend almost half of the retail price to ‘protect’ a laptop from accidental damage from handling?  As you know by now, retailers depend on it!

So what does an accidental plan cover?  An accidental plan will cover an accident, from handling, that makes the computer inoperable.  In other words, if you ‘accidentally’ break the hinge and the computer continues to work, you are out of luck.  If you ‘accidentally’ lose the ‘E’ laptop key, too bad.  If ink or paint ‘accidentally’ lands on your laptop and the computer continues to run, so sorry.

I have dealt with so many customers that have these problems.  Unfortunately, the plan does not fix accidents that affect the computer cosmetically.

Your plan will cover any damage from handling like drops or spills.  If you accidentally drop your laptop or spill a contaminating fluid on the keyboard, you will receive service.  This is where the complaints begin.

Your Service Provider decides how your issue will be resolved, and if it qualifies for resolution.  The first option may be a time-consuming repair.  Cross your fingers in hopes it will be fixed right.  Next, if the original laptop is beyond repair a refurbished laptop will have to do.  A new laptop is never an option.  A merchandise card for the amount you paid for your laptop is the third option.  Do not count on this one.

My experience with any plan that deals with a computer is major complaint.  The customers that came back to me were not happy.  The biggest complaint was the time it took to address the issue.  The next complaint: “it's not fixed right.”  In addition, people do not like to receive a ‘remanufactured’ laptop to replace the laptop they bought new.  I never met a customer that received a merchandise card for a damaged computer.

No matter what your salesperson tells you, most of the customers that use these plans are not happy.  Most of this discontentment stems from accepting a sales pitch as truth.  Your salesperson may say; “you’ll get your money-back,” “there is a one-week turn-around,” or this little charmer, “the plan covers “everything!”  It is not true! 

By now, I hope you realize there is not much truth in retail, just money manipulation, from your pocket to theirs.

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The definition of a chump:

a gullible person, a sucker; someone easily taken advantage of, the target of a scam.

Learn from a former salesperson and trainer how salespeople drive sales. Learn how to keep more money in your pocket where it belongs! There are two ends of every sales stick!  One end cries 'chump.'  The other end boasts 'champ.'  I know which end of the stick I want to be.  How about you?